As we wave goodbye to 2008, it's worth taking a moment to look back at the biggest drug policy stories of the year. It's a definite mixed bag, but better than most recent years. Following this story is another that looks forward into 2009 -- also likely to be a mixed bag, but with more signs of life to bring hope to drug reformers.

Will 2009 be a happy New Year for positive drug policy changes? Here, we take a look at what could -- or couldn't -- be coming down the pike, as well as some festering issues that aren't going to go away.

New year, same old same old. Another jailer gone bad, another deputy with problems, and a murky tale from Tennessee involving cops, docs, guns, and pills.

Marijuana is decriminalized in Massachusetts effective today. Hash, too.

Don Christen has jousted with Maine authorities over marijuana for years. Now, he's just won a major victory in court.

West Virginia's Kanawha County school board wanted to subject teachers to random, suspicionless drug testing, but a little thing called the US Constitution got in the way.

It's been a little more than six months since social pot dealer Rachel Hoffman was intimidated into becoming a snitch and sent off to buy cocaine and guns from men who killed her. Now, her family is suing the Tallahassee Police Department and seeking legislation to protect other young victims of predatory policing.

Under existing jurisprudence and guidelines, people in Holland can grow up to five marijuana plants without fear of prosecution. Now, a court has ruled that no matter how big the harvest, if you grow five or less, you're safe.

The Peruvian government managed to defeat the bloody Shining Path insurgency in the early 1990s. Now, the profits from prohibition are helping to bring it back to life.

The herbal drug "Spice" is becoming popular with recreational users seeking a high, but authorities in various countries are moving to ban it, claiming it contains a dangerous synthetic cannabinoid.

"Another Botched Drug Raid: Officers Shot, Mistaken for Burglars, No Drugs Found," "Fixing Our Criminal Justice System Isn't Political Suicide. Stop Saying That.," "Arizona's Attorney General Talks Marijuana Legalization," "An Easy Way to Ask Obama About Drug Policy Reform," "Merry(juana) Christmas! (Colbert/Willie Nelson video)," "Bush Endorses Harm Reduction Group... Sort Of," "Harm Reduction and Allan's Diplomatic Faux Pas, on the Final Day of the UN Drug Treatment Conference, Vienna."

Apply for an internship at DRCNet for this spring (or summer), and you could spend the semester fighting the good fight!